


HEART BONDS

by ismellitblue



Series: SOUL BANDIT [2]
Category: His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman, Naruto
Genre: Daemon Separation, Daemon Touching, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt, Non Consensual Daemon Touching, Other, sasuke centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-04-29 18:36:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14478729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ismellitblue/pseuds/ismellitblue
Summary: Missing nin are known to kill their daemon without a second thought.But news of Uchiha Sasuke walking around without his soul is still a shock.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation of my fic,INNER SOUL,be sure to read it so that following the story is easier.I own neither Naruto nor His Dark Materials.Happy reading everyone.

News of Orochimaru’s death spreads across the continent.

What’s left of team seven should be celebrating, but there’s still no sign of their former teammate and to top it all off,there are stories going around that have become  impossible to ignore.

They talk of Sasuke crossing the land of rice fields- _alone_ -without  his daemon in sight.Those who’ve actually seen him and lived ,spoke of the darkness emanating from him.Of the way he spoke directly to their daemons( a grievous show of disrespect),the hungry way he looked at their souls-his eyes cold and hard,without  a daemon’s light in them.

“They’re lying the teme wouldn’t hurt Izanami, she’s the only family he has left!”Naruto screamed,his eyes glistening as Kaya made gentle yipping sounds at his feet trying to calm him down,despite being visibly agitated herself.

Sakura said nothing, she looked at Kakashi-sensei, noting the way both he and Pakkun had gone still and quiet.

They weren’t saying anything to discredit the news and Sakura felt her heart squeeze.She was aware at the edge of her consciousness that Aya was ripping her hair out.Screaming at the top of his lungs and throwing rocks at civilians,but she couldn’t get past what the people were saying.

Sasuke had severed his bond to his daemon.

He’d killed Izanami, his own soul.

She remembered the lynx that used to walk beside the Uchiha,the grey wolf that had protected her during the fight with Zabuza and the eagle that had charged at Orochimaru’s daemon,trying to keep it away from them.

And Sasuke had killed her…just like that,like she meant nothing.

There were rumors that Sasuke had killed her because she’d settled as something weak,others said it was Orochimaru who’d done it,but none of that mattered to Sakura…All she could think of,was the coldness she’d felt the first time she’d met a ninja without a daemon.

Could Sasuke really do that to himself ,had he done it?

She felt a warm calloused hand slip into her loose fist and she looked up into Naruto’s still watery eyes,but they were shining with determination and she latched on to that.

If Naruto believed that Izanami was still alive then so did she,Aya’s fur brushed against her neck as her daemon finally calmed down, he clung to her back and she found herself reaching back to pat him with her free hand as Naruto did the same to a whimpering Kaya.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Naruto and HDM. Hope you guys enjoy this.

Uchiha Sauke was cold, calculating and darker than anyone she’d ever met.All this pointed to him not having a daemon,but Karin often wondered about that.She spent hours studying him(discretely of course), she monitored him 24/7 but there was never anything alarming.

When she slept she had Rai take over, but the vulture never had anything to report either.But both of them agreed something wasn’t right with the Uchiha.

“He’s not void”Rai said one day after they’d settled in for the night and Karin sat up and looked towards where their team leader was sleeping…Rai was right.

Sasuke was exceptionally cold,but he wasn’t void-like the empty- eyed shinobi she’d seen wandering around in Orochimaru’s base , when the man had gone through a daemon severing phase.In fact, sometimes when Suigetsu and that obnoxious dolphin Mala she could see traces of anger in him.

He still _felt_ something that people with severed bonds could not do.Beneath his calm exterior was a rage she’d never felt before, and that was exactly what made her doubt that he’d killed his daemon.

The following day she increased her surveillance, days turned into weeks but still nothing,until in the end she was forced to give up.

Perhaps the Uchiha were more resilient when it came to matters such as carving out their own souls,or maybe Orochimaru had finally perfected the technique.The only person who knew what had happened that day was Sasuke , and he hadn’t told anyone anything.

***

“That girl and her daemon are idiots, but they’re smart idiots”Izanami said as she curled around Sasuke’s neck that night.He scratched her neck and she felt herself relaxing.

“I give her points for persistence,”

“It’s just that she doesn’t know how to look”Sasuke said as he sat on a tree branch and began meditating,using Izanami’s soft breaths to anchor himself.

Later when Juugo and Masemo, came to relieve him of guard duty-he was alone,staring out into the night with a blank look.

He moved past the pair with single nod, Masemo turned back to watch the retreating pair.The gorilla was certain he’d seen something moving in the shadows of Sasuke’s cloak,he blinked and when he looked again there was nothing there.

A cool breeze ruffled his fur and he dismissed the  strange movement as just being the wind.He didn’t see the wide dark eyes that watched him from Sasuke’s sleeve,nor did he hear the muffled laughter coming from the tiny creature observing him.

Juugo did though, and he looked around for a bit,before dismissing it as just be the sounds of the nocturnal animals.


	3. Chapter 3

Itachi  heard about Sasuke severing his bond at the end of an Akatsuki meeting , and they took their leave soon after,dodging all the other members except one..

“Do you think he really did it,do you?do you?!”Tobi  asked dancing in circles as his butterfly daemon fluttered around him.

“What he does is unimportant to me”He  answered,keeping his voice level with great difficulty.

Kana’s talons dug into his shoulder,but she  remained quiet,her wings tucked back, not a feather out of place.Neither of them trusted Tobi or Veil,despite the other ninja’s ‘jolly’ disposition.

“ _A butterfly has no true colour of its own,it’s merely reflecting what’s in its surrounding_ ”Kana had observed when they’d first met the man.

“ _How much of his happiness is actually genuine?”_

 Itachi trusted Kana’s judgement she’d been right about Danzo afterall(they just hadn’t had time to prepare before the man and his baku had struck).

They simply stared the two down until the masked man and his daemon left,with Tobi huffing about them not being any fun.

***

Once they were alone,  and they didn’t have to keep up appearances, Itachi let his shoulders droop and Kana let out a soft pained trill.

When Itachi slid down to the floor,moved to his folded  arms ,bumping her head gently against his cheeks and stemming the flow of his tears.

“He didn’t do it”

“He wouldn’t,”Itachi agreed ,and both of them suppressed the sliver of doubt that they felt.

Instead they hung on to memories of the little boy who ran around in the snow with his tongue sticking out,trying to catch snowflakes.His daemon bounding carefree right beside him,both of them laughing,unburdened by the responsibilities that came with being Uchiha.

“I miss them” Kana breathed, her tears now mixing with those of her human.

Itachi didn’t say anything back,instead he stood wiping away all traces of emotion from the both of them.

“Just a little while longer,we have to hang on for a little while,then we’ll know for sure”

 _‘We’ll  finally be able to die’_ She wanted to say but chose to keep quiet, he did not need to hear something they had decided long ago.

 


	4. Chapter 4

When they finally saw Sasuke again,Itachi’s breaths were tinted red and she left traces of gold dust whenever she moved.

Sometimes when he slept she saw something moving in the shadows,calling to her.Telling her to sleep-to let her guard down-to rest-but for Itachi she refused.He needed to make peace with himself and though it was selfish,Sasuke was his peace.

They faced the little boy they’d held  for the first time when they were five years old and he was so different.She felt her tail feathers turn to dust as she took him and she shifted to hide the glowing gold.

He was so angry…and alone.With no Izanami by his side and the image was so wrong,she wanted to go right up to him and start searching beneath his clothes,looking for Izanami,the way she always did when their boys were younger and still did things like hide and seek.

Instead she flew high up,watching the battle from above and trying to catch any hint of Sasuke’s soul…there was none.

She could feel Itachi crying silently through their bond and she swooped in her claws extended as she ripped at Sasuke’s clothes.Desperation driving her as she searched for any hiding spots Izanami might be using-she hadn’t settled the last time they’d seen her.Perhaps she’d morphed into something small to better hide when Sasuke was fighting.

He swatted her away with the hilt of his chokuto, but by that time ,he was only in rags and there was still no sign of his daemon.

When his second strike came,she didn’t even try to dodge,she just let it land-accepting the punishment.

How were they supposed to face Mikoto and Kalari.The noble crane had made them promise to look after Sasuke and Izanami,and now they’d have to tell her  lastborn had torn out his own heart because their actions.

She hit the ground,just as Itachi pinned Sasuke to a wall.His eyes moving widly,looking for something anything, but just like her,he found nothing.

***

When she picked herself up from the ground,her shock and sorrow were replaced with the one emotion Itachi had been suppressing for years…rage.

She lashed out at Sasuke with all she had.

Foolish,foolish boy, _foolish little brother_ ,

To make himself into the likes of Hidan,to disregard the sacrifice their parents made that night so easily.How could he be so stupid,taking out the one thing- _the one thing_ that made Sasuke-Sasuke.

He was covered with her gold dust and all the blood Itachi was coughing, but he didn’t even notice too scared and focused on the fight to notice that they were literally attacking him with the last of their strength.

_‘Itachi,the plan has changed,we can’t leave him here like this’_

_‘Perhaps if we end him now,we’ll be able to reunite him and Izanami,we can’t let him continue as a soulless husk’_

She channeled the thoughts directly into his mind.A few moments later he had Sasuke dodging several shuriken as he replied.

_‘Do it’_

She sent out a quick prayer of forgiveness before she took flight.

Itachi had taken out Mikoto and Fugaku, while she’d been cocooned in Kalari’s wings,feeling Aria,their father’s jaguar’s final breaths.This time there was no daemon to comfort as their human moved on,so she’d have to end Sasuke fast.

Grip.Pull and tear…pull ,grip-

She kept the mantra going as she drew close,headed directly for Sasuke’s exposed throat while Itachi kept him busy.

***

She saw the moment Sasuke realized what was going to happen.

 One red eye turned in her direction and his lips parted in shock,but she steeled herself and extended her talon.

From there things went dark for a few seconds, before she found herself  staring up at the overcast sky.

A hiss came from her right,and she got up to face the new threat, aware of how quiet everything had gone.

Despite the hiss, it wasn’t a snake.

The new arrival had short stubby legs.an elongated body, and the fluffiest fur she’d ever seen.The face had a black line across it,like a small bandit mask, and the overall cuteness of it made her want to coo, but she stayed focused.

The animal-no-daemon,did not look particularly dangerous and had Kana not felt the power in the blow that knocked her off course, she would have thought her win was guaranteed.

“Izzy?” Both she and Itachi questioned.

“You have no right to call me that”Came the answering snarl, and relief flooded both of them so abruptly,they nearly broke their cover.

They resumed the fight and with each opportunity,Kana steered Izanami into Itachi’s path and he always found a way to run his fingers through her fur(it was a gamble, but since it would be the last time they’d ever get to see them-the stolen comfort was worth it).

***

When she felt Itachi beginning to slip away she grabbed Izanami by her scruff and carried her higher.She deliberately loosened her hold and Izanami was on her in an instant.

She was surprised when the younger daemon didn’t tear apart her under belly .Instead she made her way on to Kana’s  back and Kana let her ashes fall free.She felt pressure build at the base of her skull and waited for the puncture,but it never came.

‘You were always too busy to take me flying once you settled’Izanami whispered,and Kana realized  what the words meant.

She circled the battle slowly,taking her time and moving through the cloudless sky(Sasuke’s kirin had taken all the moisture).When Itachi and Sasuke collapsed,she landed and headed to Sasuke.

He was too out of it realize that he’d curled a  hand around her, the way he’d always done when she and Itachi came back from missions.With the last of his strength,Itachi held Izanami and when his hand stilled in the motion of patting her.Kana gave Sasuke’s fingers a tiny peck,before finally allowing herself some much needed rest.

Sasuke would dismiss the tiny scar as unimportant, but Izanami,would be able to see the tiny golden speck trapped within.Just as Itachi had left Sasuke his eyes,she too had left a little something for younger sister.


	5. Chapter 5

_Before they’d woken up in the hospital, they’d been somewhere else._

_In the new place,they didn’t have bodies, or any shapes to take,but that was alright.Sasuke could feel Izanami more clearly than when they were in their physical forms.She was bigger than him, completely dwarfing his energy but in a good way,like a protector-a guardian.She surrounded him completely in  the strange place, chasing the darkness away,as they moved in the nothingness._

_In that place they felt no sorrow, no pain and after long days of keeping everything bottle up, not having any worries and simply just existing was nice._

_…It was peaceful._

_“We can’t ever tell anyone about this”_

_And that had been that, ninja could break all other promises, but the ones made to themselves were sacred.That was why the majority had unique nindos_

***

The night of the massacre something in them had broken…their bond had still been intact, but it had buzzed with something other,something that

For a long time  neither of them knew what it was, but they both knew something was different.The medic- nin who’d checked them hadn’t found anything and neither had the Yamanaka.

The Hokage and the elders wanted more tests done to find out what was wrong, and that was when they’d started faking.

The longer they stayed in the hospital, the more time they were wasting instead of preparing for Itachi.

“I feel fine now,”Sasuke had lied, staring right at the Hokage and Izanami had shifted into a panther to make them look more self assured.The old man had looked at them sadly, but  soon after he and his dog daemon had left,Sasuke had been discharged.

***

“I think whatever it is that’s wrong with our spiritual chakra is what’s allowing us to travel when you sleep”Izanami had  said, finally breaking the silence on the topic they’d been studiously avoiding.

“You saw it too right?That place?”She’d asked,her form a tiny may fly,to keep the ANBU guards from hearing her.

***

For a long time, they were only able to travel in their sleep, with Izanami curled up close to him.But then Orochimaru and the cursed seal happened ,and instead of feeling detached from each other like all the others had, they’d grown closer.Merging was easier than ever, but the true change in their bond showed the day Izanami finally settled.

Not only could their minds travel to the other place,Izanami was no longer bound to the physical plane.She could go to the other place at any time she wished, curling up somewhere deep in Sasuke’s soul, disappearing completely from the world, her presence felt only by Sasuke.

A warm welcome presence , right above his heart.

***

The decision not to say anything(even to the members of team seven) had been what saved them from Orochimaru.

For a split second he’d been in Sasuke’s head,slithering and hissing as he made himself at home in a place he didn’t belong,and that had been their chance.

Unlike Orochimaru’s daemon, Izzy wasn’t restricted to the physical world.She’d leapt at Sasuke, tackling the spirit forms of both him and the snake sannin.

At first the snake-man had been taken aback at encountering her in Sasuke’s mind.Then Izanami had let loose, breaking from her normal physical self, her presence echoing in his mind as she filled even the darkest parts of him.The two of them dwarfing Orochimaru to the point of him being nothing more than a speck of dust.

The way he’d paled when he ‘d realized the kind of trouble he was in, had been highly satisfying.

All it had taken was thought.

A single thought and the old man was nothing but matter floating in oblivion.

His energy so tiny and weak-completely devoid of warmth, trying to pull itself together but failing dismally. Tearing into him had almost seemed like overkill- _almost_.

When they were done, they’d tossed him out into his own (stolen) body and continued the battle to finish him off properly.

Izanami had enjoyed Neska’s confused hissing when the cobra hadn’t been able to fully connect with Orochimaru.Letting bits of her true essence out as she choked out the creature.Watching its strikes grow wild and agitated as it realized that it was the end of the line.

It was funny how Orochimaru was terrified of being separated from his Daemon, but’d had no problems with severing children who hadn’t even settled from their daemon.

***

When they’d left the hideout Izanami had been hidden in Sasuke’s sleeve.After a brief conversation with a rattled looking Kabuto they’d left.

“Why did he look so scared, it’s not like him to show anything other than his creepy ‘polite’ mask”

“Even Kei was a single uniform purple today?Not the usual clash of colours he favours when Kabuto isn’t on a mission”Izanami had asked from her hiding spot.

“We killed his master, even a piece of scum like Kabuto has to have some fear left in him”

The whole thing should have ended there, but no matter how far they got from Oto, the fearful looks persisted, even when Sasuke was in civilian disguises.

It wasn’t until they were ambushed by some hunter-nin that things started to make sense.

“Not just a traitor, but a soul killer as well, no wonder the price for your head is so high”

Despite his tendency to not give in to small talk, Sasuke’s interest was piqued.

“What are you talking about”

The girl and her lemur were particularly chatty, laying into him for ‘killing’ his daemon and how they wouldn’t but any lies about her being hidden.

“Ari can’t sense her, so don’t bother trying to lie.Culling freaks like you is our specialty we’ll-”She hadn’t gotten a chance to finish before Izanami(who’d been hiding in the trees) had dragged her lemur by the tail, and pulled him into the shadows.

The girl had dropped dead a few seconds later.

“They can’t sense me, when I go to the other place fully, they can’t sense me”Izanami had whispered, both of them a little shaken by the implications of the revelation.

***

They’d spent weeks in the forest trying out the new development and it was through that-that they learned something important.

So long as Sasuke stayed calm and centered, Izanami could vanish and go into the other place even when he was awake.

It was a more than welcome development and after a few run-ins where the shinobi dared to laugh at Izanami’s somewhat _vaguely_ cute(she did not look that adorable,she looked _fierce_ ) appearance, they decided to use it to their advantage.

***

Izanami proving herself as a more than capable adversary was always fun, but the type of fear that came with people thinking Sasuke had it in him to severe his daemon bond was more fun for them.

“I think Naruto was right about me”

“I really am a teme”

The _no duh_ , look she leveled at him, as they escaped in the opposite direction from where his old team currently was almost made him laugh, but he pushed the urge down.

Seeing the heartbroken looks on the faces of their former teammates had been fun.Who were they to think that they mattered enough to know his personal business.

The fact that Izanami’d had to hide during the confrontation, as Sasuke hadn’d been calm enough for her to go to the other place meant nothing- _absolutely nothing._

Izanami nuzzled his neck at the thought and he picked up speed.

They didn’t care- _they’d left that life behind long ago._

***

After the fight with Itachi, Sasuke had been mad that he’d let his mind scatter so bad that Izanami had to show herself in order to rescue him.

But after Tobi told them what had really happened and the the sacrifice Itachi had made…he’d been relieved.At least Itachi and Kana had died knowing that he hadn’t killed Izzy.Everyone else didn’t matter- but at least his older brother had died knowing that Sasuke still  had a soul.

“Don’t worry I’ll be your family now, us Uchiha have to stick together afterall”Tobi’d said

Something about the way the upbeat man’s sentence had broke Sasuke’s calm and for a second Izanami had materialized right behind him.

The masked nin had whirled instantly, but by that time Sasuke’s composure was back and Izanami was safely in the other place.

From then on he avoided Tobi as best he could and when they were at the headquarters Izanami insisted on always being in the other dimension.

“Something about Pein’s daemon isn’t right, it’s not just in one location.”

“Every time I move between the planes I feel her.Like she’s somehow monitoring everything…we need to be careful”

***

Many months later when Pein finally died Izanami saw his daemon, with no trickery behind it, and the creature was actually in one location(in the edges of the other place),instead of being spread thin across the world.

It wasn’t hulking wolf everyone had come to associate with Pein, but a barely there faded shadow of a thing.Whether she was ravaged by disease or  injury, they would never know.But sitting in the other place with the fading daemon had felt strangely peaceful, like they were sitting with family.

The encounter hadn’t made sense for a long time.It was only after finding out that Pein had Madara’s eyes and their relation to Madara that the whole thing had made sense.


	6. Chapter 6

People think that Sasuke killed Danzo and he’s content to let them think so.

Afterall he and Izanami are one and the same,her kills are his,just as much as his are hers.

When they’d come for their vengeance on Konoha,Izanami had been within him.

A smoldering inferno of rage.Watching out through the red of his eyes, adding a fereal quality to his eyes.

The gaze of a berserker.

***

Upon squaring off with Danzo, Sasuke had thought he was in control of himself.And then…then the man had undone his bandages.

There’d been cousin Shisui in his eye socket, Aunty Shizu by his wrist and right above that had been the first sharingan Sasuke had ever seen.

His family’s eyes had rested on the man’s limbs, sick and perverse trophies.A psychopath proud of the atrocities he’d done.

There’d been a quiet,cold snap in Sasuke and he’d been aware of Izanami’s spirit untangling from his soul,but he barely paid any attention to that.In  that moment all that had mattered was Danzo, standing there talking about how the sharingan had made his family too proud, how they’d been an evil to be burnt off the face of the earth, and yet he wore the very eyes of the clan he looked down upon.

_Kill._

His mind had hissed and he’d gladly obliged.

From then on there’d been only Dazo and the fact that he was still breathing, still using his family’s eyes corrupting them.The man in a desperate attempt had grabbed Karin.

Using her as a shield,like the coward he was,but by that point Sasuke was beyond caring.Danzo had to die and that was that.Whether Sasuke went down with him, or Karin did it really didn’t matter.

He’d charged, arm extended, blade ready,  aiming right for the heart,ignoring the terrified look on Karin’s face.

_It’s okay Sasuke I’ve got this._

Izanami’s voice had come just as he reached the pair.His hand moved without conscious effort, it was too late to stop, but he still had enough control to shift the blow, making it non lethal.

Karin was out cold, bleeding on the ground when Danzo, who’d still been awake and aware died-and it wasn’t even Sasuke who’d dealt the final blow.

The last Uchiha  had watched as the man’s precious _rare_ daemon, a creature straight out of nighmares, _the Baki_ , was felled by something smaller than its paw.

Izanami entered the beast through its snout, from there Sasuke watched the occasional flashes of light from within as his daemon fed on the beast.Its howls unending as in a bid of desperation it tried to suck everything in and crush Izanami, but she was relentless.

Her rage the same cold heat Sasuke could feel pulsing through him.

When she was finally done she dug her way right of the Baki’s chest,and let herself  fall to its underbelly, a claw extended, tearing it open from head to tail,letting the creatures destroyed entrails drop.

The beast didn’t fall instantly, it simply slumped to the ground slowly breathing heavily-its body not fully aware of what had just happened.When Izanami left it,after spitting in its hazy eyes to make her way over to him and Danzo, all Sasuke could do was watch.

The old man was trembling visibly, the eyes that was his own wide with fear.The stolen Uchiha eyes though, had no fear in them, in fact they looked… _happy_ , as though they still had the sentience of their  rightful owners and were rejoicing the fact that they’d finally bee avenged.

“Tell the creatures of the underworld that Izanami and Sasuke send their regards”Izanami hissed,climbing onto the man’s barely moving chest , her claw cutting a straight line across his throat.

They watched him choking on his own blood, his fingers twitching as though he wanted to do something.

Afterwards, when all his daemon’s dust had faded, they cut off his arm, carefully taking out Shisui’s eye and preserving it.

They left the battle field with one final regretful look at Karin .

“She’ll live”Izanami reassured Sasuke, urging him to go faster and stay hidden.

She managed to stir him until they were on the border between the land of fire and the land hidden in the rice fields.when they were in a secure cave, with some barriers up, she let go of the tight hold she’d been keeping on his emotions…finally letting him cry and curling into him, letting herself go as well.

***

After carefully digging out the eyes from Danzo’ arm, they threw it out to be eaten by scavengers.

No part of that man deserved any respect.

“I’m so tired Izzy,”He whispered later that night as she lay on his chest, the two of them stargazing and pretending their tears were from looking up for too long.

“Me too”She answered.

“We have to get out of here”She whispered a while later,there was no reply,but when she sunk into him, going to the other place, she found his soul in agreement with her.

***

A week later the hunter-nin passing through the place were only able to recover the bone of Danzo’s pinkie finger( a man who’d wanted absolute power reduced to nothing but a pinkie-divine justice at its best).


	7. Chapter 7

Sasuke stared at the darkness of his cell, the barriers glinting from time to time, replenishing themselves.The seal around his eyes hurt as his rinnegan tried to break free, but the chakra zapping seal kept it at bay.The full body straight jacket also made the whole thing rather unpleasant.

The tip of his nose had been itching for hours and wasn’t about to rub it against his thin mattress to relieve it.The guards who were most likely watching him from the night vision cameras would not get any sign of discomfort from him-thank goodness  he was good at keeping still.

***

“Teme, you can’t keep doing this, just swear your allegiance  to Konoha again, and you’ll be free.You helped defeat Kaguya, _that’s a big deal_ , all your crimes will be pardoned if you’re loyal Konoha”Throughout Naruto’s speech, Sasuke remained immovable, staring at a corner of the padded cell.The other was clearly still mad at him, not to mention creeped-out by the lack of daemon, no matter how much he tried to hide it.

“At least eat something, at this point,Sakura says they’re going to sedate and force feed you”

The laugh Naruto’s daemon gave at that was pained, and Sasuke increased his focus on looking at nothing.Ignoring how much the sight of the daemon made him miss his own.

If something had happened to Izanami, he would have felt it.In fact he could meld with her if he wished and see the world through her eyes, but he knew the Yamanaka would pick up on it instantly, so he just let himself wallow.

He’d been enduring the visits of his teammates for weeks now and both of them said things along the same lines.

_Come back to us._

_It’ll be hard but they’ll forgive you, we can go back to the way we were._

Utter rot and if they just stopped focusing on only the good of Konoha, they’d see it.Uchiha were not welcome in Konoha, they never had been, they’d just been necessary to building the village, and now that it was strong they were no longer needed.

Kakashi at least was silent.He came in every day to stare at Sasuke, Pakkun pacing at his feet.

As time wore on, Sasuke began to regret not choosing to fight Naruto.Perhaps if he had, the two of them would have died in the battle, and he wouldn’t have been stuck in a cell,slowly going mad(okay, madder than usual).

On his one hundred and fifty sixth day in captivity(being stuck with Orochimaru had taught him how to use his own body as a calendar), something happened.

One of the guards, the one who liked to come and jeer at Sasuke to make himself feel like a big-bad shinobi, came into the cell.He didn’t say anything, which instantly had Sasuke on high alert.His dog daemon( a common trait of the Inuzuka clan)followed close behind, walking slower than usual.

Upon seeing the dog, Sasuke fought to keep his disinterested expression in place.

The bond between him and Izanami was more alive than it had been in months, she was definitely close.

Judging by the way the dog daemon was shifting uncomfortably, she was probably hitching a ride on his underbelly, clinging to the fur there.He didn’t dare look too closely, let alone try to communicate with her through thoughts.

The Konoha ninja didn’t believe he had a daemon, but the cell he was in was built to monitor people with daemons, plus he was sure that even after all this time, they still had a Yamanaka watching from behind the cameras.

The  formally loud mouthed guard ,discreetly dropped a senbon on Sasuke’s knee, making sure it was hidden from the camera and within reach of Sasuke’s mouth.

***

With the aid of the senbon,escape was easy-Konoha clearly could have benefited from Orochimaru when it came to making sadistic restraints-Sasuke hadn’t even had to peel off skin to remove the seals restricting his power and a simple surge of lightning had taken out the cameras.

By that time, the alarms were going crazy.But that was not Sasuke’s concern, he was already dressed in the guard’s clothes, Izanami having knocked both him and his daemon out the first chance she got.

“Going soft?”Sasuke asked teasingly as she settled around his neck.

“In your dreams, we just don’t need vengeful dogs on our trail when you’re this weak “she said, nuzzling his protruding collarbones worriedly.

It would have been easy then, to just walk out.The guard was one of those ridiculous shinobi who covered their  entire face and all recognizable features, so no one would know it was Sasuke behind the mask, but then he ran into another guard,..an obvious newbie judging by the way he still had his nametag on.

“Sir, we’ve been instructed to check on the other prisoners,the ANBU and the jounin are out searching for that _worthless_ Uchiha”Pleased to hear that his clone diversion was working,Sasuke followed the newbie, intending to knock him out and steal the wallet he could see sticking out of his pants( he was probably still buying sake for everyone after work- _tch_ ).

“Shark toothed water boy , the giant and that red-haired witch are this way, their daemons are that side”

“Maybe we can get some info on where Uchiha might be headed, I think Ibiki’s going to be talking to them later on either way”The young man said, obviously trying to earn points for diligence.

 _Walk away Sasuke, you don’t need them anymore._ That was the logical choice, the smart thing to do…but Sasuke couldn’t make himself leave.

Izanami materialized behind them, coming back from the other place. Going unnoticed by the man and his koala.

She vanished into the shadows.Headed for where the daemon were being kept.

_I’m saving us time Sasuke, we both know we’re not leaving them behind._


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the comments,kudos, and bookmarks, your support means a lot and i'm glad you're enjoying this.

After all the time they’d spent under Orochimaru, separation was nothing new-but it was still uncomfortable.

Surprisingly, it was Mala who noticed the blur first.Her pseudo smile widening at the sight of a foreign daemon, a sharp insult at the tip of her tongue, but before she could say anything.The tiny animal now staring at all of them spoke up.

“Can it, you overgrown tuna, or I’ll leave you here until they turn you into a sardine”Mala’s retort was instant.

“That doesn’t even make sense, anyway you’re one to talk, since when do Konoha-nin use chew toys as their daemon”

“How dare you, _I_ am an _apex  predator_ -”

“It’s _you_ ”The ragged voice of  Rai,Karin’s vulture broke the argument.Its beady eyes taking Izanami in.

“You're Sasuke’s daemon, you're Izanami,aren’t you?”He asked, but the question seemed to be more of a formality.

“Perhaps, you should free us before we continue this conversation.That is why you came here, is it not?”Came the voice of reason,Masemo,the gorilla looking at all of them calmly and Izanami latched on to the sense of calmness he brought.Tuning out Mala and Rai, who were arguing softly in the background, with no heat or strength behind their words-captivity had clearly worn them down, she set about freeing them.

Masemo scooped her up before she could react, bringing her close, and next thing she knew Rai and Mala were there as well.

In Izanami’s opinion,the whole thing was very awkward and unnecessary-this was a prison break afterall-but to humor them,she let the moment last for a few more moments before wiggling out of the group hug and heading for the door.

***

The corridors were silent, _but not empty_ ,bodies and daemon dust were everywhere. Clearly Konoha had realized Sasuke hadn’t left and were trying to restrain him(but judging from the state of the corpses- definitely Suigetsu’s work -he’d at least managed to free the others.

“We have to help them”Mala wiggled about, chewing on the leg of a squirrel who’s human had somehow managed to cling to life.Masemo snapped the human’s neck out of mercy, and they all ignored the dolphin’s indignant cries.

To cease the noise,Izanami rolled a bloody bottle of water towards her and she instantly quited,gulping it down.

“Rai, fly  ahead and keep us posted, Mala take in as much water as you can to stay hydrated,we’re going to need your sharp teeth to cut down _a lot_ of daemons, Masemo channel your strength do your best to kill with just one blow ,…I know you guys are tired, but we have to get through this,”

“Yes, _boss-lady-madam_ ” Came the sarcastic reply from Mala, but her teeth  were all out, her eyes alight with anticipation(whoever said dolphins were peaceful was obviously high on some of Orochimaru’s enhanced weed).

Sasuke was close, and judging from the way the others seemed more alert their humans were too.

It was time to join the battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mala is not the exception in dolphins-they really are dangerous-why on earth would sharks fear them if they weren't-just sayin'

**Author's Note:**

> I had no intention of turning this into a series, but this idea wouln't leave my head so i decided to just write a short one.Tell me what you think.Did Sasuke really kill Izzy?


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